Subject:Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:80sfanon04/08/09 at 7:06 pm

I do.

Some people like it because it's the only thing that's on. But I still can't see how you can like that crap!

The people aren't even interesting to watch. Lol.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Brian06on04/08/09 at 7:28 pm

There's a few that I'll watch and are a little entertaining but overall they're generally repetitive and all follow the same basic format. It's not really reality anyway. The networks just like them because they're cheap for them to make.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:snozberrieson04/08/09 at 7:48 pm

I've said it before and I will say it again... except the dating, "romance" and dancing shows.... I love reality... LOVE IT!!!!

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Marty McFlyon04/08/09 at 7:50 pm

I thought it would peak with the first Survivor and Big Brother (which I actually watched - it was mildly interesting since it was new) and fizzle out by 2003 or so. I was shocked that it didn't, but I think the reason reality shows and celebrity tabloid obsession got bigger is probably because people want to escape to that with the state of the world now.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:whistledogon04/08/09 at 7:52 pm

I'll watch the music/talent ones, but as for the rest, no thanks.

I mean shows like Amazing Race and Survivor were neat ideas to start, but after umpteen seasons, it's just too repetitive. It's the same thing each year, just with different people.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:LyricBoyon04/08/09 at 8:08 pm

RealiTV is morphing back into staged TV anyway.

On VH-1 you have some "contestants" who have been on as many as four shows, all using their same identity. Examples are Heather, Destiney Sue Moore, "Frank the Entertainer", Frenchie, and so on.

Maybe they are sort of a new-age Rat Pack. ???

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:MaxwellSmarton04/08/09 at 8:11 pm

"Reality TV" is an oxymoron. Those so-called reality tv shows required to damn much ad revenue to hazard the boredom of "reality."

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:snozberrieson04/08/09 at 8:12 pm

I'll watch the music/talent ones, but as for the rest, no thanks.

I mean shows like Amazing Race and Survivor were neat ideas to start, but after umpteen seasons, it's just too repetitive. It's the same thing each year, just with different people.

The people are what I find fascinating it's likke a social experiment watching them react and plot and watching the way they process an encounter or conversation. Thats why I always tune in.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:90steenon04/08/09 at 8:47 pm

Me. I've never liked a reality show. I watch TV to get away from reality.

And it's not even fully real :(

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:joemanon04/08/09 at 8:49 pm

"Reality TV" is an oxymoron. Those so-called reality tv shows required to damn much ad revenue to hazard the boredom of "reality."

Very true. I had a friend who went on auditioning Andy Dick reality tv show amd apparently a lot of it is staged, and whenever something 'real' happens, Andy Dick gets really pissy. Evantually my buddy got fired because Andy Dick was being...welll a dick.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:snozberrieson04/08/09 at 8:56 pm

Very true. I had a friend who went on auditioning Andy Dick reality tv show amd apparently a lot of it is staged, and whenever something 'real' happens, Andy Dick gets really pissy. Evantually my buddy got fired because Andy Dick was being...welll a dick.

Andy is a dick. And a comdeian. His show was a comedy attempting to look like a reality show. No one thought it was real. Well at least I hope they didn't.

Reality can never be 100% real because there is editing involved. Those fake scripted shows like the hills are not reality shows either. The need a new sub category for them. Real reality often have a producer who tweaks things behind the scenes to heighten the drama. I have no problem with that so long as the reactions are "real".

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Foo Baron04/08/09 at 11:22 pm

I remember seeing the ads for Survivor.

I wondered how the lawyers wrote up sufficiently-bulletproof contracts to make The Running Man and Smash TV into reality. But it was the dot-com era, and maybe someone had figured it out. That'd be pretty cool, seeing if they can all survive the season, or if they wind up going all Lord-of-the-Flies on each other. Maybe the producers got around the stumbling block of tasty-looking camera crews by using computers and webcams, or by arming the cameramen to the teeth.

I turned the channel as soon as I heard the phrase "voted off the island", and haven't watched reality TV since.

I'll bet you could fund a manned mission to Mars with the proceeds of a real Survivor show. In fact, it might be the only way to fund a manned mission to Mars. Even knowing it'd be a one-way trip, there'd be no shortage of volunteers.

You could launch the staging vehicle (small reactor, tools, water, and habitation) on the venture capital and the revenues from an American-Idol-style "who wants to be the first Martian" show. Charge contestants $100 to apply. The show could be completely staged (as Idol effectively is -- 99% of the contestants are weeded out before ever seeing the screen) and the winners could be pre-selected for psychological compatibility.

Next year, if you've made money and have the ratings, you train your crew while using the renewed contract to pay for the staging vehicle and build the launch vehicle.

Then you launch 'em. The six-month voyage is pretty safe, but that still means six months of interpersonal drama onboard a cramped ship during the trip. Culmination of the season is entry/descent/landing. There's even a convenient communications blackout due to ionization around the spacecraft during re-entry -- imagine being able to sell air time for an event comparable to Neil Armstrong's moon landing. Even if they don't make it, you'd pay for the launch and the trip.

And if they do make it, you've got two years between landing and the launch window for the crew return vehicle.

Five seasons at a minimum. Up-front risk is limited to the largely self-funding costs of doing the crew selection during Season 1, and a portion of the costs of the staging vehicle. Rest of the show pays for itself.

Return vehicle fails? They go Lord-of-the-Flies on each other during those two years? Everyone gets $1M to pass on to their next of kin, and the last human on Mars gets $10M. If they make it back alive, everyone who survives gets a $10M bonus.

The ratings would be astronomical.

And that's without doing anything particularly evil, like... say... "There's $160M for everyone who boards the crew return vehicle, divided equally among the survivors. The next-of-kin of the dead only get the $1M consolation prize." If they kill each other while waiting for the CRV to pick them up, they dramatically decrease their odds of anybody surviving long enough to make it back.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:gumbypizon04/09/09 at 1:36 am

I despise that most of mainstream, and even cable TV has become this even greater wasteland of "reality TV", today more than ever.

As Max said before, there is no part of "reality" in reality TV. Its all a staged event by TV producers whos sole purpose is to put these sad sacks of people, fundamentally lacking in self esteem or self-respect, into the most bizarre, UN real based situation to cause the most tension between their purposely mis-matched personality traits.

Its not as if its difficult to put one together, any 13 year old could figure out how to get 5-7 different people and put them together in some unrealistic, crazy circumstance and watch the sparks fly. As a matter of fact, reviewing the mass of junk out there tagged as reality TV, I think it is done by 13 year olds, or at least directed to be viewed by their mentality.

Sometimes I wonder why they're still on the air, its not as if theres any surprise or shock in it anymore, as the TV viewing public has become jaded with the most outrageous things to have been put on the screen by now.

Maybe its for the sheer economy of them, small budget, relatively large return. Factor that in with the obvious lack of imagination or talent writers at the networks have, and you have a sad continuing cycle of garbage entertainment, displaying the the lowest common denominator subject matter to a undereducated, shallow public that eats it up.

A very sad commentary on what we as a community have grown to accept as entertainment. :P

Now, do you get the idea that I HATE reality TV? ::)

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Frankon04/09/09 at 1:43 am

I only saw one episode in my life of any reality show. (think it was the 1st "Big Brother")Not interested.

AND

I also have no interest in American Idol (or our Canadian Idol)

I am different, aren't I.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Philip Enoon04/09/09 at 1:44 am

I never watch them, I have no time for them.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:tvon04/09/09 at 9:12 am

I never even liked Reality Shows except for "The Apprentice" when it first debut on NBC for the first season but thats about it. I don;t like American Idol, Survivor, or Big Brother or the Osbornes.

Reality TV was huge on mainstream networks for the first part of this decade(2000-2004) and than big on cable networks in 2005-present.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Philip Enoon04/09/09 at 9:15 am

I never even liked Reality Shows except for "The Apprentice" when it first debut on NBC for the first season but thats about it. I don;t like American Idol, Survivor, or Big Brother or the Osbornes.

Reality TV was huge on mainstream networks for the first part of this decade(2000-2004) and than big on cable networks in 2005-present. I do watch The Apprentice but that show is different.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:statsqueenon04/09/09 at 10:51 pm

The only reality TV I enjoy (sorry Q) are my judge shows (Alex, Joe Brown, Judy, Hatchett, etc), but I can't get into the prime time shows.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:MaxwellSmarton04/10/09 at 1:02 am

The only reality TV I enjoy (sorry Q) are my judge shows (Alex, Joe Brown, Judy, Hatchett, etc), but I can't get into the prime time shows.

I like Judge Mental! :D

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:snozberrieson04/10/09 at 3:09 am

The only reality TV I enjoy (sorry Q) are my judge shows (Alex, Joe Brown, Judy, Hatchett, etc), but I can't get into the prime time shows.

I will get you to conform :P

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:statsqueenon04/10/09 at 10:07 pm

I will get you to conform :P

We both know there's no need, I have you! ;D ;) :-*

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Of course, I have to watch American Idol, Amazing Race and Hell's Kitchen.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Davesteron04/11/09 at 4:18 am

Judge Judy is a longtime habit...

I still enjoy watching COPS when and where I can find it...

That's about it...

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Mushroomon04/11/09 at 4:53 am

I used to be a fan of "Reality TV", but that was during it's first reign of popularity, the 1970's and 1980's.

Almost Anything Goes was probably the first. It ran on ABC, 1975-1980. It pitted 3 teams against each other. Instead of prizes for themselves, the winning team got money for development projects in their home town.

It was basically an American version of "Ultimate Elimination Challenge", with lots of events requiring people to jump in water or mud. There were also celebrity versions, as well as a teen version later on.

http://www.curtalliaume.com/aag.html

Then on the second wave you had shows like "Real People", "That's Incredible", and "America's Funniest People". I also put the classic "Cops" in with this style.

I detest Reality TV shows today. The only one I have watched was "The Joe Schmoe Show". And while I detest all of the other modern ones, I did enjoy that show.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Davesteron04/11/09 at 5:07 am

I'd consider Candid Camera a form of reality show, as well...

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Philip Enoon04/11/09 at 5:12 am

I'd consider Candid Camera a form of reality show, as well...It featured real people ?

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Davesteron04/11/09 at 5:27 am

It featured real people ?

Yes, I believe so. Ordinary people and/or celebrities, I think. It's been a long time since I've watched it. Pranks were played on unsuspecting folks which was caught on a hidden camera...

Alan Funt would jump out from a hiding place just before the victim kicked someone's ass...

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:bookmistress4everon04/11/09 at 5:42 am

I actually knew someone that was on Judge Judy. She, more or less, handed him his butt in a basket. Totally calling him names and insulting his girlfriend (who was supposed to be a witness for his side, but ended up not getting a chance to speak). I never really liked her before (she is too damned crabby) so I just didn't care for her after that at all. The good thing was they paid for the flight out to Cali and the hotel and paid the settlement, so even though he got bitched at, he actually came out ahead. Go figure.

I have only seen one or two American Idol. Only one episode of Survivor. I've watched a bazillion episodes of Cops, and those reality shows that take place in the hospital emergency room (because hubby loves those). I've watched lots of cooking ones (Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, Battle for the next Food Network Star) and the fashion one (for some reason, I can't remember the name of it now...) and also the designer's one for interior decorators. I guess I'm more drawn to those kinds then the walking around naked on a desert island kind.

I can't say that I really like reality shows as a whole, but if that is all that is on, you gotta make do I guess.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Davesteron04/11/09 at 5:51 am

I actually knew someone that was on Judge Judy. She, more or less, handed him his butt in a basket. Totally calling him names and insulting his girlfriend (who was supposed to be a witness for his side, but ended up not getting a chance to speak). I never really liked her before (she is too damned crabby) so I just didn't care for her after that at all. The good thing was they paid for the flight out to Cali and the hotel and paid the settlement, so even though he got bitched at, he actually came out ahead. Go figure.

JJ is crabby but sooo funny sometimes. I have her figured out - You better have a job and, if applicable, you'd better be paying child support! She was previously a family court judge, so that makes sense...

I went to school with a girl, Kayla, who lost her case on People's Court back in 1988. Something to do with returning airplane tickets she had purchased. Wapner was a mofo...

I can't say that I really like reality shows as a whole, but if that is all that is on, you gotta make do I guess.

You could always turn off the TV and play Yahtzee... ;)

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:LyricBoyon04/11/09 at 10:43 am

Alan Funt would jump out from a hiding place just before the victim kicked someone's ass...

Ah yes. Candida Camera is the granddaddy of all RealiTV.

And let's not forget Mr. Funt's sidekick, Durward Kirby, who was the Paris Hilton of his time... the original personality who was famous only for being famous. ;D

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:SoulAsylumon04/12/09 at 11:00 am

I was sitting down with a friend and discussing with him just how much better television used to be.

I still have my "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit" and of course a lot of my favorite reruns, but most of todays' newer television seems to fall under three categories.

1. Reality Television - And what's sad to me is the majority of reality television focuses hard into the ugliness of life. People insulting other people, people verbally fighting with one another and at times physically fighting with one another. I swear all of these reality shows start out and end the same.

Week one, "I really think a lot of Bobby, I really like him" Week 3, "I hate you Bobby! I hate you! Get out of my life".

2. Mainstream Cheap humor - Sitcoms today are written by writers with no imagination! No creativity! No Originality! I sit down and watch a show like, "Two and a half men" and I see them using mainstream humor that my 7th graders came up with a week before! You know all of the punch lines that they're going to deliver 2 minutes before they deliver them.

3. Good but - You have to watch the show from episode one and never miss an episode. These shows are entertaining and good, but if you watch episodes 1-2-3-5-6, you're lost as as lost can be because you didn't see that essentially important 4th episode and you're screwed for understanding what's going on.

Sorry to have such a rant, I'll get off my soapbox now. As much as I used to make fun of and bash "Full House" back in the day, I at times find it the most entertaining show on in comparrison to a lot I'm seeing on TV now.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Michael C.on04/12/09 at 11:15 am

I don't like Reality TV shows.....................When they're not being degrading.......They're so staged {for Reality.... ;) }

The "Reality" craze killed MTV & is in the process of killing off VH1.....Now.....TV-LAND...........

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss167/MCola2004/COUGAR.jpg

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:coqueta83on04/12/09 at 8:00 pm

I watch some reality TV....."Little People, Big World" on TLC is my current favorite.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:SoulAsylumon04/13/09 at 12:00 am

I watch some reality TV....."Little People, Big World" on TLC is my current favorite.

I don't mind that show as much, but even they have their fair share of fighting and arguing.

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:AL-B Mk. IIIon04/14/09 at 3:51 pm

I've said this before and I'll say it again: There is only one logical and inevitable conclusion to all this reality TV crap:

"WHO WANTS TO BLOW A MILLIONAIRE???"

Mark my words, sooner or later this WILL happen. :P

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:joemanon04/15/09 at 12:46 am

I don't like Reality TV shows.....................When they're not being degrading.......They're so staged {for Reality.... ;) }

The "Reality" craze killed MTV & is in the process of killing off VH1.....Now.....TV-LAND...........

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss167/MCola2004/COUGAR.jpg

looks like a sexy show

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Badfinger-fanon04/15/09 at 1:42 am

never liked em to begin with, this is the only Reality TV I care for and don't tell me it's fake, because it's totally real ;D

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2002/2390190159_f24f9fdc53.jpg?v=0

Subject:Re: Who, here, even after about a decade, still hates reality tv shows?

Written By:Samwiseon04/15/09 at 9:00 am

Oh God, don't even get me started.

Something that's annoyed me since this whole "reality TV" thing got started is: why do people now call game shows "reality TV," as though it's some kind of brand new concept? Who Wants to be a Millionaire, The Weakest Link, and the others - when they first debuted, people grouped them in with The Real World as part of this brand-new, cutting-edge, uniquely-90's "reality TV." But they were just game shows. Those things have been around since the dawn of television, and I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure there were also radio game shows before that.

Another thing that annoys me: documentaries don't count as "reality TV." Documentaries sit back and, well, document real things that are happening. Reality TV shows first create an artificial situation, then document it (although usually they continue to poke and prod at it). So the difference between reality TV and documentaries is that reality TV shows are less realistic. ::)